Pneumatic rubber bumper guard



June 15, 1954 J. convDoNIE PNEUMATICI RUBBER BUMPER GUARD Fild Oct. 21,1950 INVENTOR.. Je/jfCo/"yc/zl Patented June 15, 1954 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE Jei Corydon II,

assignments, to berton, Ohio, a

3 Claims. 1

This is a continuation in part of my earlier Number 170,415 coveringrubber pneumatic auto accessories, and relates specifically to pneumaticrubber bumper guards.

The inflated rubber bumper guards described and illustrated in myearlier pending application have been thoroughly tested on automobilesand have proven very practical for absorbing bumps and shocks resultingfrom contacts with immovable or relatively stationary objects, while atthe same time eliminating noises caused by the same contacts.

-Iniiated rubber bumper guards of the same types as disclosed anddescribed in my co-pending application were mounted as shown in saidapplication on the front and rear bumpers of a passenger auto. Similarshaped guards were also mounted by different means on the front and rearof an automobile. The inated rubber bumper guards were actually testedby bumping the thus equipped autos against other autos under parkingconditions. Attempts were even made to burst the air inflated guards bybumping immovable objects with considerable force and applyingsubstantial driving force. In all tests the bumper guards absorbed theshocks, eliminated noise, and did not burst.

present day passenger The object of this continuation in part of myearlier application is to separate from the multiple accessories thereindescribed the inflated rubber bumper guards and to specifically covertheir developmen A special feature of the invention the construction ofthe inflated rubber bumper guard to include a suitable means molded inthe rubber for fastening the guards securely to several diiferent shapesof bumpers on current models of automobiles.

The objects and features of my iniiated rubber bumper guard will vbemore readily understood from the following detailed description read inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a frontguard.

elevation view of the bumper Fig. 2 is a side view of the same bumper.`guard.

Chicago, Ill.,

Bump-Air corporation Application october 21, 1950,

assigner, by mesne Incorporated, Barof Delaware Serial No. 191,421

places as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 where an inflated rubber guard l isshown mounted on, and indicated by outline, bumper 2.

My rubber guard is constructed generally in the shape of a lkidney whenviewed from the side as appears in Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 of the accompanyingdrawings. But in the center of the rear Wall of the guard, where contactwith the bumper occurs, there is a conically shaped depression or cupshaped hollow indicated by dotted line 3 in Fig. 2 and more clearlyshown in Fig. 3 by the irregular shaped contact edge outlined byparallel lines 4.

guard easily attachable to many shapes of automobile bumpers. It isshown in fore bending Referring to the extra thick rear lug e forfastening to bumper 2 with nut t. The curvature of the strip 5 is theresult of bending the strip until the center lines Ib and li of lugs 'Eand S when extended meet to form an angle of approximately 15 asindicated in the drawing. The wavy appearances of the ends of the stripis due to crimping, In practice the bending and crimping can beperformed at the same time.

4 also shows clearly another feature of my invention, namely, theconically hollowed out space in the rear wall indicated by curved line das the greatest depth of the conical hollow by curved line i as theouter edge of the conical hollow which when finally adjusted on thebumper 2 and fastened thereto by bolt t and nut the only contacting edgeof the rear wall of the guard that touches the bumper.

Fig. e of the drawing shows the bumper guar assembled on the bumper 2but not tightened into its final position. As a result there is an airsnac i2 shown between the conical holiow the rear wall of the guard andtheV face or" the bumper. When fastened tight in place on the bumper,air space I2 disappears when edge d contacts the face of bumper 2, butthere will still be an poclzet between the guard and the because or theconical cavity in the rear wall of the guard. The conical cavity isanother feature of my gu which serves two distinct functions. In thenrst place, it inakes'the rear of the rubber guard easily adaptable inclose contact to almost any shape of bumper-face. In the second place,if the guard receives a severe blow, any continuously applied pressurewill cause the rear wall to press against the bumper whereupon the airin the conical cavity will be compressed and absorb any remaining shock.

In adjusting and fastening the guard to the bumper, air from space l2becomes coniined withn in the irregularly shaped edges of the guard andforins an extra air cushion for absorb-- ing bumps as described.However, the conform-- ing of the rubber guard to any shape of bumper--face is not air-tight so that, when compressed, air will escape from theconical cavity and, when the pressure is released, air will ret to theconical hollow. Air is not supplied to conical V cavity as it maybesupplied to the rubber bumper guard through valve i3. any suitableconstruction, so that air under pressure from atmospheric up to 18 or 2Gpounds may be introduced there-through by valvular or pcderniic means,for example.

In my earlier application covering pneumatic rubber auto accessories Iemployed a large headed bolt to fasten the rubber guard to the bumperand described a round metal plate being molded in the rear wall of therubber guard with a bolt 'tending therefrom. I have found the bent andcrimped strip described herein holds the guard more securely, anditscurvature and construe tion makes the same inflated rubber guardattachable to several diierent shaped bumpers ci' the current models ofautos instead of requiring a dilerent shaped rear wall and differentlocau tion of bolts for each different shape, site and angle of bumper.As an example, the steel strip may be approximately 11/4 x 4% in siseand Y thick. Two clusters of holes may be drilled 7n each end about 1/8in diameter as shown at lli and l5 in Fig. 5 which illustrates such astrip of steel before bending and crimping. Two /'g" diameter lugsdrilled and tapped are welded to the steel strip for receiving the boltil. rrhen the This valve may be of strip can be bent and the endscontaining the clusters of 1/3" holes waved by crimping. When the steelstrip is then molded in rubber, it is se curely embedded in the rearwall of the guard which is about three times the thickness of the restof the walls of the guard. must be taken to cover the top edges of thelugs i and il with rubber as shown in Fig. i so that if contact is madewith the bumper there would not be the noise or shock of metal againstmetal.

It is perfectly practical to make the bent and crimped steel strip withlugs 'i and 9 welded thereto as a single casting and then drilling andtapping the lugs so as to receive bolt 5 instead of making the piece asdescribed in the previous paragraph. It is also within the scope of myinvention to use a thinner strip of metal in the rear wall of the guard,approximately 1% to 7%.; of inch thick, which would be more iiexiblethan a thicker strip and would enable the rear wallY to more easilyconform to any irregularly shaped bumpers.

I have applied my rubber bumper guard to most of the lower pricedpassenger autos and found that, if the metal strip was bent in an arc sothat the center lines of the lugs i and s when extended would form acentral angle of approximately 15, the guard was easily attached to theYcurrent bumpers of such autos as Ford, Chevrolet, ilymouth, Studebaker,etc. Of course oniy one bolt would be used in each case to fasten theguard to the bumper through either lug 1 and u the angle and shape ofthe bumper-'face would reduire.

It is the unique combination of this'fastening means imbedded in therear wall of the rubber bumper guard, and the cup-like hollow in thesame wall, and the choice of two bolt positions that enables my inflatedrubber bumper to be attached to so many different shapes and styles ofauto bumpers.

l claim:

l. An inflated rubber bumper guard for vehicles substantially asdescribed and illustrated cornprising a rubberV casing which is tallerthan it is wide but wider near the top than near the bottom, said casinghaving a lower rear wall which is substantially thicker than any of itsother walls and an upper rear wall which is substantially the samethickness as the other walls excepting said lower rear wall, said lowerrear wall containing an inwardly extending cup-like hollow and meansmolded in said wall for attaching said guard to a bumper, and said upperrear wall containing means for admitting air under pressure into saidcasing. Y

Y 2. An inflated rubber bumper guard for vehicles substantially asdescribedV and illustrated comprising a rubber casing which is tallerthan wide with the Vupper half wider than the lower half, said casinghaving a lower rear wall which is considerably thicker and differentlyshaped than any of its walls and an upper rear wall which issubstantially the same thickness as the other walls excepting said lowerrear wall, said lower rear wall containing aninwardly extending ouplikehollow, means molded in said lower rear wall which had previously beenshaped and crimped so as to be securely imbedded in said wall forattaching said guard to a bumper, and means lo cated in said upper rearwall for introducing air under pressure into said casing.

3. A rubber bumper guard substantially as described and illustratedcomprising a rubber casing which is taller than it is wide but wider atIn molding care the top than at the bottom, said casing having a lowerrear wall which is substantially thicker than any of its other walls andan upper rear Wall which is approximately the same thickness as theother walls except; said lower rear wail, said lower rear wall havingits exterior surface indented to form a cup-like hollow, saidsubstantially thicker lower rear Wall having elements molded therein forsecurely attaching said bumper References Cited in the file of thispatent Number 5 1,724,431 1,834,824 1,978,179 2,243,462

guard to a bumper, and said upper rear Wall con- 10 taining means forintroducing air into said casing.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Spear Aug. 13, 1929 Brown Dec. 1, 1931Weiland Oct. 23, 1934 Fageol May 27, 1941

